Nature's safety: no more selfishness

The coordinator is Lithuania, partners are Poland, Romania, Italy and Turkey.The project lasts 24 months. 60 students of 12-14 years old and 40 teachers will take part in LTTAs.The world around us and the environment is more than a source of inspiration and admiration; it provides good opportunities to teach the amazing world of STEAM disciplines and the 21st century skills. Nature inspires and motivates students to study, to discover the mysteries, to understand how the world of plants work. Nature also expands their imagination and creativity and develops their Maths, Science,Art, Engineering and Technlogy skills by the use of the five sense organs.The nature-inspired STEAM is based on a complex curriculum that teaches students in secondary school a great variety of STEAM school subjects and skills with methods inspired by nature. Students will gain knowledge and expertise in science,technology, engineering,art and mathematics working in teams with students from other European countries. Our main objectives are: motivating students to integrate knowledge among school subjects; providing opportunities for students to become 21st century learners who own certain competencies such as innovation,collaboration,digital literacy, critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and who thrive in today’s world; to develop new abilities and skills and encourage the integration of STEAM skills in the school curriculum in order to help teachers to teach STEAM school subjects differently and more efficiently.The project activities we planned to organize are; project opening gala/welcome show, outdoor activities, designing insect hotels, sundials, solar cells, terrarium 3D shapes, bird feeders; building towers,roads and bridges; workshops in which students are modelling airplanes after birds; designing different objects in the mud workshop; creating simple machines and weather station using materials from nature; designing and building environmentally friendly smart homes following models from nature and solar ovens; making sun prints out of sunscreen, nature collages using branches and leaves and creating musical instruments from natural materials; restoration work; searching and recording the data about different plant species observed in nature; searching and discovering fractals in nature; designing different mathematical patterns and structures using origami, STEAM Fair, Maker Competition, eTwinning seminar, entrepreneur pitch and speaker events and using Audubon Bird Guide and iNaturalist apps.The coordinator(contact person) of each partner schools and the coordinator of the whole project are responsible for the project management.The members of the project from each school meet once a month, accomplish the tasks according to the 24-months work schedule and inform the Lithuanian coordinator about the duties being fulfilled.The results of the project are: Students develop STEAM skills in connection with nature, understand how some school subjects work together; students are interested to take up scientific professions, prepare students for an unknown future, learn to think critically, have access to authentic resources and learn to solve real lives problems. Students become aware of STEAM issues and they will be able to increasingly apply interdisciplinary integration, knowledge, abilities and skills; Resources regarding the STEAM will increase, school staff and teaching will be better, acquired knowledge and skills will be integrated in the curriculum, there will be a good communication and cooperation between partner schools and key stakeholders.Teachers will improve their teaching methods and will learn how to associate nature with STEAM subjects; students will be eager to benefit from nature, to be encouraged and inspired and create different products.The project teachers will improve their teaching abilities and competencies in European dimension.Students develop to effective learners who know to relate STEAM disciplines, develop their problem solving skills, critical thinking, critical questioning, creativity skills, and intellectual curiosity.Teachers will acquire and exchange new methods and techniques in European level,they can develop some innovative teaching-learning strategies and an improved and integrated curriculum in which good practices will be included.Inspiring examples of good practices in nature will be included in the curriculum of all partner schools,so that we can use the resources and new knowledge and skills, discovered during the Erasmus project,in our lessons and further try to develop them. Students will use the acquired 21st century knowledge and skills in the following educational contexts will use them in a creative and efficient way becoming more successful.The project participants will disseminate the project results and outputs to other teachers and new staff who will teach in the school later, and will help and encourage them to make use the experience.